The Farm

In the summer of 2003, my younger sister Meaza, my roommate Debby, and I relocated from Washington state to the southern Willamette Valley. We bought a 'fixer-upper' and I have to admit, I totally under-estimated the difficulty of certain tasks, so this has been a learning experience for me...actually, for all of us. We've got a long way to go, but with the help of boyfriends and other friends who have been willing to lend a helping hand, we're making progress. I'm always a little paranoid that people will come here expecting to pull into a palacial, multi-million dollar facility. That's not the case. But we love it and it's on its way to becoming our dream farm.

The property consists of 40 acres, with two barns, an indoor arena, and several out-buildings. The mares and youngsters receive daily turnout in one of several large pastures with rolling hills and oak and fir trees. The stallions rotate between a large stallion paddock (approx 1 acre) and the indoor arena.

The Andalusian horse is the focus of the breeding program, but there are more than just Andalusians on the farm. The horses we had before we were bit by the Andalusian bug are still here, and still well-loved...right down to the 30+ year old blind, nearly toothless Appaloosa gelding named Toby, who thinks he owns the place. So if you drive up and see an old sway-backed horse trotting purposefully across the yard - don't worry - it's just Toby. He refuses to be fenced in and at 36, we figure he's earned the right to nibble on the rose bushes.

I have a weak spot for any misfit or stray, so visitors can expect to be mobbed by a various assortment of disabled dogs, pot bellied pigs, chickens, cats, birds, and of course, horses.

The Andalusian

I fell in love with Andalusians in 1987, but it wasn't until 1995 that I was finally able to buy my first half-Andalusian. I bought him in-utero, which was almost unheard of at the time and I can still remember the raised eyebrows whenever I would excitedly tell people about "my baby" that was coming in the spring. That beautiful colt, whom I named Mirado, grew into an absolutely stunning horse who is now owned by a close friend in Washington who fell in love with him and ended up getting him for Christmas. They are a handsome pair, they turn heads wherever they go, and they are sorely missed since I don't get to see them much anymore.

Anyway. The fateful decision to buy Mirado in-utero in 1995 led my to my first two purebred mares, who arrived in 1996. Don Marco came in 1997, and I haven't looked back since.

I can't believe that I am actually considered by many to be an "old" breeder now (and I use that word very carefully), but the calendar doesn't lie. The time has flown by and sometimes I still have to pinch myself when I walk into the barn. In so many ways, I still feel like I am just starting out on this adventure toward my dream come true. It's a driving force and it seems to be the one constant in my life. I hope to leave a legacy behind and to have a positive influence on the breed.

In the 12+ years that I have been involved with these horses, there have been a lot of changes...some positive, some - in my opinion - not so positive. We love and breed classic Andalusians...as they have been bred for centuries. The original 'classic' Andalusian existed long before the PRE and the PSL were created by Spain and Portugal respectively in the 1960's. Prior to that time, the PRE and PSL were universally known as the same breed..the Andalusian horse. Unfortunately, politics have changed the breed forever, and whereas the Andalusian used to be known as the most versatile and beautiful horse in the world, nowadays the first thing people think of is all the confusion between the various names and the controversy that accompanies that confusion.

In the United States, it's simple. Nothing has changed, at least so far. The IALHA (International Andalusian and Lusitano Horse Association) still registers them under one umbrella. We do have some horses on the farm who are cross-registered with the Spanish registry as PRE's, but cross-registered or not, the one thing they all share in common is that they are Andalusian horses. They are gorgeous, good-sized horses with sound minds and bodies. They are functional AND beautiful. You don't have to sacrifice one to get the other.

Breeding Philosophy

There has been a lot of emphasis lately on size, and a lot of people think bigger is better. Our horses are nice sized horses, but we aren't striving to breed 17h Andalusians, because we don't believe that's what this breed was meant to be. We aren't striving for black or bay or palomino or buckskin or any of the other 'in vogue' colors...although they are beautiful. Everyone has their own vision of their dreamhorse, and to me, my ideal of the Andalusian horse will always be grey or white and look like it stepped out of a legend. And, for centuries, the greys have been bred to one another based on one thing and one thing only...the quality of the horse, not the color.

I am a bloodline geek. I spend more time reading the studbook than most people spend reading the newspaper. It is always open, and during lunch I frequently pour through the pages, researching pedigrees to the nth degree. Some might find that odd and think I should get a life, :) but to me it is fascinating and I love picking apart pedigrees to find out what horses have contributed certain traits to their descendants.

Constantly reading the studbook has taught me the value of learning from the mistakes and successes of those wise breeders who came before me. The bloodlines we follow are tried and true...proven over decades to produce consistently time and time again. We don't breed just to produce a foal that can be sold for a profit. We breed to produce a foal that would fit into and improve our own herd or become the foundation of someone else's dream farm.

Above all, we breed Andalusian horses because it is an all-consuming passion. These horses have changed our lives irrevocably, and although the workload is tremendous and days off or free time are non-existant, it is so worth it. When I walk outside and look over a field of white mares with their dark foals at their sides, the thought runs through my mind that this is what heaven just might look like. Nevermind that the fence needs mending and the blackberry bushes are threatening to take over the driveway...get a load of the horses.

Below are some before/after photos of the farm...from the day we first found it until now. It's a work-in-progress, but at least now we're getting to the "progress" part. (and the blackberries are no longer threatening to take over the driveway!)

Driveway 2003

Driveway 2006

Front Pasture 2003

Front Pasture 2006

Small Barn - 2003

Small Barn - 2005

Arena - 2003 (this is our realtor, trying to put a positive spin on things)

Arena - 2005

Arena - 2003

Arena - 2005

Side of Small Barn - 2003

Side of Small Barn - 2005

Runs / Thistle Patch - 2003

No Runs / No Thistles - 2005

North Side of Arena - 2003

North Side of Arena - 2005

Outside of Big Barn / Arena - 2003

Outside of Big Barn / Arena - 2006

Front Yard - 2003

Front Yard - 2006